12 Apostles One of the ‘must see’ trips when in Victoria, Australia is to see the 12 Apostles along the Great Ocean Road. The 12 Apostles, for those who have never heard about them, are limestone structures off the coast of the Port Campbell National Park. As they had been formed naturally, the very elements that had created them are also eroding them. Currently there stands 7 left. I was looking for a city getaway and had decided that this trip would be so much more relaxing and a la naturel if I had done it as a road trip but things didn’t really work out and I took a 1 day tour with Melbourne Coastal Tours instead (which was excellent, you can find their website here*). It’s a long day, we were whisked away in the 7th hour of the day and didn’t return until 9:30pm that same night. Between the towns, you are met with hills dotted with livestock as far as the eye can see, this was a welcoming sight and exactly what my soul needed. There is something about animals just grazing and greenery as far as the eye can see. Our tour also stopped off for the Maits Rest Rainforest Walk which offered a contrasting view of trees that are some thousands of years old. The Gibson Beach Walk was a highlight for me, climbing down (and unfortunately back up) the steps that offers breath taking views on every step down to have the cliffs towering over you, bringing you as close to natural wonders as close as you can get. The Apostles main viewing path and deck is well built to accommodate all the tourists and allows ample viewing space. Every picture turns out postcard perfect. Depending on when you visit, make sure you’ve adequately dressed for the wind chill/have protection from the great Australian sun as you spend most of your time outdoors. I get so upset about how our modern lifestyle is at the expense of nature so to be in a place that is as close to be untouched as it can be gives me the air to keep going. You are so marvellous Mother Nature. -S. Pictures t-b (personal photos): look out on the side of the road before Lorne, Maits Rest Rainforest Walk, Gibsons beach walk, some of the Apostles & Loch Ard Gorge. * post not sponsored or financially awarded for.

I blog a lot about ethical fashion and sustainable fashion but how much do I actually know about this topic?

I’d say maybe 20% if that? Ignorance is bliss until you decide that you want to know more. I’m not an avid fashion trend follower nor a 2nd hand shopper. I just bought when I either needed something or absolutely must have that deer cardigan. As time has gone on, I have grown out of a few items or they’ve been worn to death that they were either see-through or could’ve been used as rags. I find shopping arduous. I never seem to find the perfect fit or things that I like that I want so it was only up to very recently, maybe past 2 years, that I’ve sat down and thought about clothing.

We all start at this point of something triggering yourself to do something. So I started paying attention to articles, brands and youtube videos that explored this whole topic of which I knew nothing about. Ethical/sustainable fashion is not mainstream. Let’s face it, if I asked you for names of 5 companies that produce sustainable ethical clothing could you tell me? I can’t even tell myself. So I’d like to share some brands that I’ve come across on my journey into ethical fashion .

I know this youtube clip came out ages ago (about 2 months ago!) and I had seen it in passing probably when I was on the train so didn’t click on the link (high data rates but that’s another story) and had recently remembered to watch the clip. It was part of fashion revolution this year, a vending machine selling t-shirts was set up in a public space and the public were giving the chance to buy these 2 Euro shirts after watching a small clip about how the shirts were made. They could then choose whether or not they still wanted to buy the t-shirt.

People cannot act on what they don’t know so it was a great initiative which was short and straight to the point. Ah, I love it when there are these social experiments around.

A few nights ago, I went to the local premiere screening of the True Cost documentary. This documentary takes us on a journey back to the roots of how our fast fashion clothing is made and the conditions that they’re made under. It highlights the disparity between the amount we pay for the clothing and the true cost of what it takes to make the garment. Much of which is not priced. The documentary asks questions such as what price do we put on polluting the environment, what price do we put on workers who go into work everyday in unsafe working conditions and what price do we put on our personal involvement in all this? A $10 t-shirt does not put a price on any of this. Neither could a $100 t-shirt. This is why this documentary is so powerful, it addresses a hole in our consuming society.

Producer Andrew Morgan also shows the other side, the arguments for sweatshops and how developing countries and people working in these sweatshops need these jobs. And they do. I think it’s a well rounded film that doesn’t just say you should stop buying this and buy that because X is bad. It takes you through why X is bad and what effect it’s having. From the cotton farmers, the role of big seed and fertiliser corporations, the factory workers and their families/communities, their bosses, their Government, major designers and brands, celebrities, popular culture, store customers and finally fashion waste disposal are all featured in this documentary and are all nicely linked. It’s a huge industry and one that is currently having an enormous impact on your lives as you read this, my life as I write this and the lives of everyone mentioned above. It’s an industry that needs to be changed and it needs to change now.

If you get the chance to see this, I would encourage you to as it’s highly informative and there are many points that this documentary brings up that we should be thinking about, as an individual, a society, a country and as part of a global community.

-S.

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